Bobbin sorting mechanism



Sept. 21, 1965 w. A. MEANS 3,207,307

BOBBIN SQRTING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 20, 1962 5 8G a I A g r0 5 3 E] t m a 1 (\1 Q, N INVENTOR. W\LL\AM A. MEANS Cu-% W S ATTORNEYS Sept. 21, 1965 w. A. MEANS BOBBIN SORTING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 20, 1962 a m S m N w W m w h 1 M 7 Z M -H I HM m z u A n Y a W B 6 Q mu /.\m a J\ n I a h 6 IN a w 5 Sept. 21, 1965 w. A. MEANS 3,207,307

BOBBIN SORTING MECHANISM Filed April 20, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 62 n 6 Q 25 i k 4 6| 2 so 67 532L 3 32;

58 O)! as 54 a \i O E I x ii c 3 2L INVENTOR. WlLL\ AM A. MEANS ATTQRNEYS Sept. 21, 1965 w. A. MEANS BOBBIN SORTING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 20, 1962 IIiI'I7IIIIIIII4 IIIIIIIIIIIlIlI/IIIIIIIlI/IIIJ INVENTOR. W\LL\AM A. MEANS ATTORNEYS Sept. 21, 1965 w. A. MEANS BOBBIN SORTING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 20, 1962 barf/Ill INVENTOR.

W\LL\AM A. MEANS BY M d -(09w ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,207,307 BOBBIN SORTING MECHANISM William A. Means, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Barber- Colman Company, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 189,075 3 Claims. (Cl. 209-74) This invention relates to the sorting of the bobbins doifed from a multiple station Winding machine onto a travelling conveyor and carried away by the latter to points of disposal. In the course of such travel, it is desirable to separate the bobbins having a usable length of thread still remaining thereon from those bobbins which are completely empty or carry a shorter length of thread which is disposed of in subsequent handling or can be stripped off easily before the bobbin is returned to the spinning room.

The general object is to provide a new and more elfective mechanism than has been available heretofore for distinguishing between the usable bobbins and the substantially empty bobbins carried by the conveyor.

Another object is to identify the usable bobbins by the reflection of light off from thread remaining thereon.

A further object is to provide a light responsive senser or feeler which responds to the presence of thread on a passing bobbin but which is insensitive to the peripheral or end surface on a passing bobbin.

Still another object is to provide a novel mechanism for controlling the bobbin ejecting mechanism so as to retain the ejecting signal for one bobbin until the ejection of a preceding bobbin has been completed.

A further object is to aline the bobbins on the conveyor in a novel manner.

The invention also resides in the novel and simplified construction of the bobbin ejecting mechanism and the manner of its control by successive signals from the feeler.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan and schematic view of a winding machine embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a framentary section taken approximately along the line 22 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sections taken along the lines 3-3 and 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the photosensitive feeler and the ejector mechanism with parts of the casing broken away.

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 but showing a different position of the parts.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 77 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view and circuit diagram.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section taken approximately along the line 9-9 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 9 illustrating the paths of the light rays.

FIG. 11 is a similar fragmentary view taken along the line 1111 of FIG. 9.

FIGS. 12 and 13 and FIGS. 14 and 15 are views similar to FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrating the action of the feeler on different conditions of the bobbin surface.

FIG. 16 is a magnified cross-section of threads on the bobbin in the path of the light beam.

In a multiple station winding machine, for example a Type C Barber-Colman spooler, bobbins 10 are supported in pockets 11 (FIG. 1) of adjacent winding units (not shown) during the unwinding of thread therefrom and are eventually doffed automatically by the tying unit or traveler as it passes a winding unit whose thread is broken or exhausted, the dotted bobbins being discharged onto a conveyor extending along and past the successive Winding units and traveling in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. Since the traveler acts successively on the winding units, the dolfed bobbins become arranged on the conveyor in end to end relation as shown in FIG. 1.

Generally stated, the present invention contemplates a senser indicated generally at 15 which responds to light reflected off from the side of a bobbin as it passes a feeling position and operates to detect the presence or absence of a predetermined amount of thread on each passing bobbin and controls a mechanism 16 by which the bobbins of one group, the usable bobbins 10 in' this instance, are discharged laterally off from the conveyor and into a storage bin 14 while allowing the exhausted bobbins 10 to travel on and off from the end of the conveyor and fall into a bin 14*.

The distinction between exhausted bobbins and those reusable in a winding unit of the spooler is determined by the number of turns of thread remaining on a bobbin, the size of the thread, and the sensitivity of the feeler 15. In general and to permit the use of simple circuitry and avoid critical adjustments, it is desirable to distinguish between a bobbin, hereinafter referred to as exhausted, which is completely empty or is covered with thread over less than about an inch of its length, and a bobbin which carries a larger amount of thread, such a bobbin being referred to herein as a usable bobbin. In the case of so-called 40s thread, an exhausted bobbin might carry as many as turns, while for 10s thread, the feeler 15 is usually adapted to separate bobbins having more than 10 turns. In an eificiently operating winding machine, only a small part of the dotted bobbins are of the usable class so that it is preferred to eject the usable bobbins into the bin 14 from which they may be removed easily by the attendant and replaced in the reserve pockets of the spooler.

In the present instance, the conveyor 12 comprises the top horizontal run of an endless and flexible belt stretched around rolls 17 which are journaled on the spooler frame .and driven by a motor 18 at a predetermined speed such that the bobbins doffed successively out of the pockets 11 of the adjacent winding units by the passing traveler will become arranged in end to end relation but spaced a short distance apart as shown in FIG. 1. The belt is usually composed of canvas and formed with upstanding closely spaced lugs or a roughened surface to provide enough friction to advance the bobbins when the latter or the thread mass thereon is in contact with an upright wall 19 which extends along the side of the conveyor opposite the pockets 11.

To present the bobbins in a proper relation with-respect to the senser 15, they are urged against the wall 19 in approaching the latter, this being accomplished by inducing rolling of the bobbins transversely of the conveyor thus avoiding the use of deflectors or the like which have been used heretofore and are subject to jamming of the bobbins in service use. Herein, the rolling action is induced by tilting the belt 12 laterally as it approaches the vfeeler, this being accomplished for example by wedge shaped bars 21 (FIGS. 3 and 4) underlying the belt and spaced as shown in FIG. 1 along and fixed in the track 22 along which the belt travels. As the belt rides over the laterally inclined support thus provided, it is tilted and inclined downwardly toward the wall 19 as shown in FIG. 4 thus inducing lateral rolling of the bobbins on the belt and urging the latter against and into parallelism with the wall 19.

The bobbins shown herein are of conventional construction comprising a hollow tube of wood or paper tapering gradually throughout its length and away from a metallic ring or head 23 at the larger end. In the spinning operation, winding of the thread on the bobbin is started at the large end so that the last turns left on a substantially empty bobbin will be disposed adjacent this end as shown in FIG. 2. As dolfed from the successive winding units by the passing thread-uniting traveler of the spooler, the bobbins 10 and 10 are spaced apart a distance at least equal to the length of the bobbins with the large ends pointing in the direction of travel.

The senser is disposed alongside the conveyor 12 in an opening in the wall 19 enclosed by a housing 26 covering a short length of the conveyor and having end walls formed by downwardly hanging curtains 27 (FIG. 3) which are flexible to permit the bobbins to pass through the housing into operative association with the 'feeler 15 as it passes the opening 25.

In accordance with the present invention, the senser is light responsive and its operation in distinguishing between the usable and empty bobbins is made possible by my discovery that a beam 30 (FIGS. 2 and 9 to 15) of light directed toward and against the side of a passing bobbin at a predetermined angle of incidence will be reflected as indicated at 31 at a normal angle (FIG. 13) of reflection when the bobbin is completely empty or carries a relatively small amount of thread, for example ten turns 13 in the case of 10s thread, but that with a larger number of turns of thread on the passing bobbin, a substantial amount of light will be reflected in a different and opposite direction as indicated at 32 (FIGS. 2 and 14 to 16) off from the exposed surfaces of the threads. Thus, by locating a photocell 35 in the path 32, a signal may \be obtained which indicates that the passing bobbin carries a usable amount of thread. I have also discovered that the sensing action may be best achieved by directing the light beam 30 diagonally of the passing bobbin from a source such as a lamp bulb 36 spaced ahead of the advancing bobbin to be checked.

Herein, the lamp bulb is disposed within a casing 37 mounted at the proper angle in a bore $7 (FIG. 2) of the housing 26. Through a suitable collimating type of lens 38, the light rays are formed into the cylinder beam of a small diameter as illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 15. The photocell 35 is enclosed within a similar casing 40 mounted in a bore 41 of the housing 26 and spaced a short distance behind the light source with its axis and a lens 42 at the end thereof disposed, by cut and try testing, in the most advantageous position for producing the strongest signal and therefore the ability to detect the passing of any bobbin which carries more than a few remaining turns of thread 13 thereon. By following this procedure, it is possible to derive a signal sufficiently strong to detect the passing of a bobbin having as few as three turns left on a bobbin having a dark surface but, for the reasons mentioned above, the feeler would normally be adjusted to allow the passing of bobbins having a somewhat larger number of turns, such bobbins being exhausted as definedabove.

The desired sensitivity of the feeler has been obtained by spacing the lenses 42 and 38 1 inches apart along the path of a conveyor traveling about 127 feet per minute and by inclining the axes of the lamp bulb 36 and the photocell 35 at angles of 12 degrees and 39 degrees relative to the horizontal as shown in FIG. 2 and at 17 degrees and 29 degrees relative to the vertical as shown in FIG. 3. With this arrangement, the light of the beam 30 impinging against the smooth and uncovered surface 45 of an empty bobbin 10 as shown in :FIGS. 12 and 13 will be reflected from the latter as indicated at 31 at the same angle relative to the trailing end portion of the bobbin that light beam makes with the leading end portion. As a result, the photocell remains unaffected and no signal 4.- is given, thus indicating that the bobbin passing the senser 15 is free or substantially free of thread.

If the bobbin carried into operative association with the senser has a substantial number of turns of thread thereon as illustrated in FIGS. '14 and 15, the threads themselves and the many fibers 46 projecting outwardly as illustrated in FIG. 16 present innumerable surfaces to not only diffuse the light of the beam 30 but also reflect the same backwardly toward the light source and in the direction of the lens 42 of the photocell 35. Enough of the light thus reflected from the thread and the fibers thereof impinges on the cell to activate the latter and produce a signal capable of initiating operation of the ejecting mechanism.

By directing the light beam diagonally of the bobbin at a relatively small acute angle relative to the bobbin axis, an optimum combined area of the side surfaces of the threads becomes available for reflecting light toward the photocell, the angle of such reflection relative to the bobbin axis being substantially greater than the angle of the light beam. At the same time, such location and spacing of the photocell and the light source along the path of travel of each bobbin provides most effective scanning of the bobbin surface and distinction between tight and loosely grouped turns of thread.

If the passing bobbin is exhausted as defined above and carries a relatively small number of turns, not enough light will be reflected to the photocell to activate the latter. Such bobbins thus pass the senser without activating the ejecting mechanism, the same as in the case of empty bobbins.

With the light source and photocell arranged as above described relative to the passing bobbin, it has been found that the feeler does not respond to the impingement of the light beam against the smooth and rounded surface 48 on the leading end of each bobbin as it approaches the feeler. This is due, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, to the fact that this surface, because it is curved both radially and longitudinally, presents to the light beam at any time a surface of extremely small area capable of reflecting light toward the photocell. Thus, the light reflected from this small area is incapable of activating the photocell and the ejecting mechanism.

The signal resulting from impingement of a proper amount of light onto the lens 42 of the photocell is magnified through a conventional amplifier 50, for example a unit manufactured by Standard Instrument and sold under the designation of Model PC 325C, and utilized to energize a solenoid 51 for initiating operation of the bobbin ejecting mechanism 16 disposed beyond the senser 15 along the conveyor path. While the ejecting mechanism may take various forms, it preferably comprises a gate 52 which, in this instance, is normally disposed as shown in FIG. 5 out of the path of advance of the bobbins on the conveyor but movable into such path (FIG. 6) in response to activation of the photocell and then operable to intercept the advancing bobbins and deflect the same laterally and off from the conveyor into the bin 14.

The gate comprises a rigid and generally rectangular flat plate fulcrumed on an upright pin 53 of a hinge 53 disposed a short distance, preferably somewhat more than a bobbin length, beyond the photocell 35 so as to avoid interference between the bobbin and the senser housing 26. The gate projects from the hinge in the direction of travel of the conveyor and is urged by a contractile spring 54 out of the path of the oncoming bobbins and to a normally inactive position in the plane of an opening in the side wall 19. This position (FIG. 5) is determined by the dwell surface 55 on a cam 56 rotatable about the axis of a vertical shaft 57. The cam follower is a roller 58 journaled on the end of a lug 59 on the back side of the gate.

In response to each signal produced by the photocell and evidence in this instance by energization of the solenoid 51 in response to passing of a usable bobbin, the cam is turned through one revolution clockwise during which a rise 60 on the cam swings the gate 52 outwardly to the active bobbin deflecting position shown in FIG. 6, after which a dwell surface 61 maintains this position for an interval long enough to insure ejection of the first oncoming bobbin. Finally, the gate is retracted as a fall 62 on the cam surface is presented to the follower in the final part of the cam revolution.

The actuator for the camis specially constructed to provide a time delay between the sensing of a usable bobbin and the start of the gate movement and in addition provides for retention of a second signal received from the photocell before the cam completes its cycle in ejecting a preceding bobbin. In the present instance, the cam is driven through a single revolution for each ejecting cycle by a friction clutch having a driving member 65, 67 continuously rotated by an electric motor 63 which through suitable reduction gearing drives the shaft 57. The latter is secured by a set screw 64 to the disk 65 on a shaft 66 projecting loosely through the cam disk 56 and keyed beyond the cam with the disk 67. A compression spring 68 urges friction facings on the two disks against opposite sides of the cam disk so that the latter tends to turn clockwise continuously. The cam is stopped in a normal rest position (FIG. 5) by a shoulder 70 on a latch 71 forming one arm of a right angular bellcrank fulcrumed at 72 on a frame bracket 75 and lying below the cam. An arm 72 on the latch lever is disposed, when the latch is released, in the path of an abutment 70 in the form of a pin 73 depending from the cam. After a small part, about a sixth in the present instance, of the cam cycle, the pin engages the arm 72 and rocks the latch against the holding action of the solenoid back to its set position.

Release of the latch and the initiation of a bobbin ejecting cycle is effected by energization of the solenoid 51 in response to each signal received from the photocell indicating the presence of a usable bobbin. The solenoid is mounted on the machine frame and the outer end of its armature 76 is pivotally connected at 77 to the latch 71 and urged by a spring 78 toward the latch-engaging position (FIG. 5). When the solenoid is energized, the latch is withdrawn to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 6 thus releasing the cam for turning by the friction torque continuously exerted thereon by the rotating disks 65 and 67.

While the signal received from the senser is only a momentary impulse, the invention contemplates holding the latch in released position after a signal during the execution of part of the cam cycle but then resetting the latch for response to a second signal in the event that another bobbin of the usable type passes the senser 15 and gives its signal before the ejection of the preceding bobbin has been completed in the rotation of the cam. While such retention of the released position of the latch in response to the second signal may be achieved in various Ways as by the use of a small capacity permanent magnet, it is accomplished in the present instance by continuous energization of the solenoid at low level suflicient however to hold the latch in released position following full energization thereof in response to a second signal. For this purpose, the winding 80 (FIG. 8) of the solenoid is interposed in a series circuit With an A.C. power source 81, a rectifier 82 and a resistance 83 which limits the energization of the solenoid to a value such that the solenoid is incapable of releasing the latch but nevertheless will hold the same in released position after full energization thereof.

FIG. 8 show a typical circuit for energizing the solenoid in response to the signals produced by the photocell.

After about one-third of a revolution of the cam away from the normal rest position, the rise 60 thereon engages the follower 58 and pushes the gate 52 outwardly and swings it to the position shown in FIG. 6 in which the gate extends diagonally across the belt 12 at an angle of about thirty degrees. This movement, which is relatively rapid in view of the steepness of the rise 60, normally occurs after the butt or large end of the bobbin producing the signal has moved past the gate pivot. As a result, the bobbin is subjected to a combination of pushing and deflecting or camming forces by which it is moved laterally and ejected off from the conveyor during its continued forward advance by the latter. This occurs before the fall 62 of the cam is presented to the follower allowing the gate to be retracted by the spring 54. Finally, the cam is stopped when the pin 73 comes against the latch abutment and remains at rest until the next usable bobbin comes into operative association with the feeler.

In the event that the next bobbin on the conveyor is of the usable type, the signal indicating this may be given before the cam 56 completes its full revolution. In such a case, the momentary impulse energizes the solenoid 51 in the manner above described thus retracting the latch 71 after it has been reset by the cam pin 73 passing the bell-crank arm 72. With the latch thus withdrawn, the cam will not be stopped at the end of its revolution but will continue to turn and execute another bobbin ejecting cycle during which the second bobbin will be deflected off from the conveyor belt and delivered into the bin 14. As a result, the gate will be retracted to its normal position after ejection of the first usable bobbin but swings outward immediately to intercept and eject the next usable bobbin.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bobbin sorting mechanism, the combination of, a traveling conveyor supporting a plurality of bobbins in end to end relation and moving the same along a predetermined path, a gate fulcrumed at one end alongside said path and swingable back and forth across said conveyor between first and second positions and operable in one of said positions to intercept an oncoming bobbin and deflect the same laterally off from said conveyor, a cam follower on said gate, a rotary cam engaging said follower and having a rise and fall angularly spaced around the cam periphery and disposed between high and low arcuate dwells determining said first and second positions, means continuously applying friction torque for turning said cam, a circumferentially facing abutment on said cam, a latch movable into and out of the path of said abutment between set and released positions and engaging the abutment when in said set position to stop the cam with the leading end of said low dwell engaging said follower, a solenoid having an armature coupled to said latch and operable when energized momentarily to withdraw said latch and free said cam for turning and then hold the latch releasably in said released position, means operable in the initial part of the cam cycle to reset the latch against the holding action of the solenoid, and means for sensing and distinguishing between the alternative conditions of the presence or absence of a predetermined amount of thread on each bobbin as it approaches said gate and energizing said solenoid momentarily each time a predetermined one of said conditions is sensed.

2. In a bobbin sorting mechanism, the combination of, a traveling conveyor supporting a plurality of bobbins in end to end relation and moving the same along a predetermined path, a gate disposed alongside and swingable across said path between first and second positions and operable in one position to intercept an oncoming bobbin and deflect the same laterally off from said conveyor, a cam follower on said gate, a rotary cam engaging said follower and adapted when moved away from a normal rest position to execute a cycle during which said follower and said gate are moved to one of said positions and returned to the other position, a power actuator adapted when activated to turn said cam through said cycle, means for sensing and distinguishing between the alternative conditions of the presence or absence of a predetermined amount of thread on each bobbin as it approaches said gate and activating said cam actuator each time a predetermined one of said conditions is sensed, a solenoid energizable in response to signals received from said sensing means and operable When energized momentarily to activate said actuator and initiate a cycle of said cam, and means associated with said solenoid for enabling the latter when energized momentarily during such cam cycle by a subsequent signal to retain such signal and cause immediate execution, upon termination of the cam cycle, of another cam cycle in response to the retained signal.

3. A bobbin sorting machine as defined by claim 2 in which said cam actuator includes a single revolution clutch continuously applying a friction torque to said cam, a latch normally holding the cam in a position to maintain said gate in one of said positions but releasable by said sensing means from a normal set position to permit turning of the cam to move said gate to the other of its positions, and means operable automatically in the initial part of each cam cycle to return said latch to said position and restore the same to the control of said solenoid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES, Acting Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM BERLIN, ERNEST A. FALLER, 1a.,

Examiners. 

1. IN A BOBBIN SORTING MECHANISM, THE COMBINATION OF, A TRAVELING CONVEYOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF BOBBINS IN END TO END RELATION AND MOVING THE SAME ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, A GATE FULCRUMED AT ONE END ALONGSIDE SAID PATH AND SWINGABLE BACK AND FORTH ACROSS SAID CONVEYOR BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS AND OPERABLE IN ONE OF SAID POSITIONS TO INTERCEPT AN ONCOMING BOBBIN AND DEFLECT THE SAME LATERALLY OFF FROM SAID CONVEYOR, A CAM FOLLOWER ON SAID GATE, A ROTARY CAM ENGAGING SAID FOLLOWER AND HAVING A RISE AND FALL ANGULARLY SPACED AROUND THE CAM PERIPHERY AND DISPOSED BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW ARCUATE DWELLS DETERMINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, MEANS CONTINUOUSLY APPLYING FRICTION TORQUE FOR TURNING SAID CAM, A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY FACING ABUTMENT ON SAID CAM, A LATCH MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF THE PATH F SAID ABUTMENT BETWEEN 